1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to apparatus for storing and recapping hypodermic needles and, more particularly, those which will prevent inadvertent puncture wounds incurred when recapping the needle.
2. Prior Art
It is well recognized that modern medical procedures make extensive use of hypodermic needles for the purpose of giving injections, blood transfusions and for taking blood samples from a patient. One of the most frequent problems which occurs as a result of using hypodermic needles, catheters and the like is the occurrence of inadvertent puncture wounds which are suffered by the practitioner while attempting to recap the hypodermic needle after use. Such inadvertent punctures often require treatment of the injury and, most importantly, in many cases require the treatment of illnesses or diseases that may result from the puncture wounds. Where injuries or illnesses occur from inadvertent puncture wounds, the user may be faced with unacceptable financial expenditures and the loss of employee time.
The problems incident to inadvertent puncture wounds cannot be underestimated. As is now recognized, one of the most deadly diseases known to man, the HIV virus, can readily be transmitted through the use of contaminated needles. In addition, diseases such as herpes, syphilis, malaria and tuberculosis may be contracted by inadvertent puncture wounds by a hypodermic needle which has been used on a patient. To address this significant problem, the prior art discloses numerous devices which attempt to prevent the occurrence of inadvertent puncture wounds while recapping or resheathing a used hypodermic needle.
One of the devices disclosed by the prior art to reduce the problem of inadvertent puncture wounds utilizes a housing having a central hole in a finger-protecting shield that allows a hypodermic needle to be inserted therethrough while being grasped during the recapping procedure. The major problem associated with this type of design is that the point of the hypodermic needle must, by necessity, be moved longitudinally with respect to the axis of the shield. Therefore, opposed lateral movement of the hypodermic needle relative to the finger-protecting shields may still result in an inadvertent puncture wound.
Another device taught by the prior art provides for covering and uncovering the hypodermic needle by relative lateral movement between he needle housing and the hypodermic needle. An elongated housing is provided with an open, elongated slot which permits insertion of the hypodermic needle into the housing and removal of the needle therefrom by relative lateral movement between the housing and the needle. The elongated slot in the housing is covered by a removable cover which, after removal, results in the exposed opening defined by the slot. The problem inherent in this device results from the open, elongated slot. Once the covering member has been removed from the elongated slot, the hypodermic needle may be inadvertently dislodged from the housing thereby providing for a continued risk of inadvertent puncture wounds.
The present invention resolves those problems inherent in the devices taught by the prior art. The present invention provides an elongated housing which is adapted to hold a hypodermic needle in an internal chamber aligned with the axis of the housing. The cylindrical wall of the housing is severed to create an opening along its longitudinal axis. In the absence of applied force, the resilient construction of the cylindrical structure of the housing causes the boundaries of the severed wall to be maintained in contact thereby preventing inadvertent exposure of the hypodermic needle. Sheathing tabs are secured to the outer wall of the housing. The orientation of the sheathing tabs relative to the opening in the wall of the housing will permit separation of the housing walls along the severed interface when force is imposed upon the tabs. A pair of guide flanges integral with the housing wall adjacent to the opening therein extend upwardly and outwardly in opposition to the tabs to aid reinsertion of the hypodermic needle within the housing. When force is imposed upon the tabs thereby separating the housing walls along the severed interface, the hypodermic needle may be removed from the housing or reinserted within the housing by laterally moving the needle between the guide flanges and the separated edges of the housing.